The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-08-21
DRY CREEK GULCH NUGGET.
THE STORY or A MIG POTATO-sHAPED
LUMP or CALIFORNIA GOLD.

Along with Geunu ana Lovely WIG.
i've often wondered what became OF the
Dry Creek Guch nugget. which had such
varied cafeer In tho early days OF California"
said Major Z. o. Allen, an old Forty miner.
The last timo saw 1t was In 1885, and then 1t
was in tho possession OF Dan Peters In San
Francisco. That chunk Of gold wasn't as yalu-
able az the famous moonstone diamond but 1t
was attended with US much romance. and
also had its share Of tragedy.
A Mexican miner by the name OF jose Tai
pan, l think 1t was was washing out dirt In .
guloh leading down to Dry Greek. Amador
county In the summer OF 1883. There wero
some Digger Indians eamped at the head Of the
guleh, three miles from whero the Mexican
was dslving for gold. One day young buck
belonging to the camp camo along by where
JOSS was washing dirt and throwing up tail
ings, and stopped to watch the process. While
the Mexican was intent on his cradle he at the
same time kept suspicious watch on the In
dian out Of the corner Of his sharp black eye
Suddenly, Immediately after he had thrown
out o pile OF tnilings, he saw tho
Indian stoep down quickly, dart his
hand like q flash into the pile OF
tailinGs, make q rapid motion with 1t to the
breast OF his buekskin shirt. and then rise to
his feet again and watch the minor at work
gaze he had assumed before. The suspicious
Mexican turned on the Indian and aaksd him
what he had picked up out Of the tAilinEs The
Indian did not reply, but. turning on his heel.
sped up tho Guloh Ike tho wind. That was
sufficient to convince the miner that the Dig
ger had found something Of valn:: "a, and he he
s ran Tta fadsn led sSe M.aissn long chase,
and was almost within si.ht Of the pigCSr
out word drove tho blade Of his knife to tho
dian fell to the ground With fearful yell The
gold. He ssis.d i, plunged NJ knife once
airss s n in the thros, o, death and fastened
back down the gulch With his troasurs.
h:t .sh the ~: Fl 1 5..t
able 10 t. toll thsm what had Jed to Mi. tate and
.s sf Tsss Wis ws. a.d in1 s'ys ts
sf' sS wiz h ja bs, ad wss S.sn
seR.rs y :, n sss sn ~ SCI q camp .st
4 that time q tfs siistsnso Of ths nuae.t.
The manner Of the nsxieAns murder va so
after .hs method q the .anr9
Of the nugget va. teld,, NO doubt remained as
70 who tne assassin had been; The murdsrs org
death Jose's brother and a party Of Ns1icans
oani thu s ss1sS % si Il: s" 'e sss
bixysrs had taken could not be located.
kothlnE was heard OF the nugget for some
Incidents connected with 1t spread through
the mining camps ard every s mtn . WAS on
s 10 his Sat,ns II iS"S sss s d.
tato, covered with small potatoes In
c pe.sm s River, and who dumped more dust
G he Esi drast onS d. s mi.nE
near his Loaf claim, sqd on his way to Wy tent
met three Digger Indiana ha Fan was riding nSna
didn't i wan. to ri, but It last one q
ins naasr E: eask1 sas% tod
ne %.ls 'osa$h s. s:n A's Is 0s wS II
him sober. Il was the Loaf long potato mug
get,' which had already cost two lives. and for
ns The Indian. w"r s' svdsy anxious
to part with the treasure for its possession
was perpetual menace TO them. whsrSvsr
dis n noui,ted from his mule. handed ii over to
the indiana and received the , huge nugget Drunk
ing his posseseion OF tho Aoxioans lost treas.
ure secret. When he reached his tent he hid
hs s and s aGeo in to sSSn S as
Sam sfterward related the story. he rematn
bored the transfer Of tho mulo for the gold;
a. l hunted In every nook and corner In that
s1aana said and anSuH alT Up every
burned over stones that ordinarily couldn't
have moved with a mule team, and split hollow
with Srs~ood for a month, but couldn't lind
the nuTsN had %abT up my mna e nbfst
and was disappointed. / hunted for three
day. for the ana thsn sC da.JfsstG ID
the guards with juice again. The minute !
reached the waY-uGstage | was In tho night !
ha Ia ar
Ing a word to anybody. For fear I'd get sober
on my way and forget again where my treas
sSns mean me- and EsPt % eSe fWhsn
5sasnsd The Tort walked ed rish. .s eyer t. % an
into int 't tho legs s0 q ONE isand my nussst and
-, sam didn't have the satisfaction Of
mtsas I'D. ss.ia ara Hss for
hour. atsr bs found s lis BOO, he Lost st IT,
That drove Sam to drinking harder than ever.
and IN ley than t91h t. att: 10 .r.ssd hls
Sins saa hsipsd bury Ein; /, wasn't ~ natil aiter
about having it, and when no died the camp
agreed that as far as tho lump OF gold wasco
cornod nndtn's was koepln o. ana everybody
became a soarehsr for poor Sans lost nugget.
II was about that time that Dan Peters came
that way a-prospsotinR He only remained
there three days, and then went away. ! re-
manned NJ Trims Camp month aftsrward.
The nugget had not yet been found or heard OF
Il went from frias to Frisco. and the day
l got there | found there was a great Juror
over tho robbinS Of q hotel Rafo, among the
plumber obtainsd BY the robbers selns nug-
got OF puro gold belonging to Dan Peters. The
nugget was asssribed and what was nay sur
nugget that was originally found BY the Dig
ger Indian; and last SnoTn e be In the pos
dsntiy found ths lost lump during mis- three
days STAY at Trin's Camp and not knowing
ANYTHING Of Ito history, had wissly said nothing
about tho nhdiRR rs it isn't likely that tho
miners belonging At the onmp would have let
a strangor come ip and carry OF, without en-
phatic protest. valuable goods that they con-
sidered some ono OF them had the sole claim
to, Dan Peters must have gone away from
Frisco after the robbery, for less than two
months Gitsrward was passing by q !swslry
store In Montgomery street, and. seeing num-
Der OF people grouped about the window and
gazing In with great Interest at bomething dis
played there, ! stopped and looked In, too.
When saw what 1t was that interested the
crowd / almost jumped out OF my boots. II